Agricultural Telecommunications 2001
Full Proposal 6.3 / 20516
Project Summary:
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Title of Project: |
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Dairy Beef: Maximizing Quality and Profits |
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Project Director: |
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Dale A. Moore, DVM, PhD |
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Applicant Organization: |
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Summary:
New demands of meat packers, as a result of Hazard Analysis Critical Control
Point (HACCP) implementation, have focused attention on the quality of incoming
cattle to the slaughter plant. Because cull dairy cattle are a major source of
beef, programs to educate producers about food safety and quality assurance are
critical. The purpose of this project is to deliver a web-based dairy beef food
safety curriculum to dairy producers, veterinarians and farm advisors that will
provide a consistent food safety message throughout the industry. The goals are
to have producers and their advisors (1) understand issues regarding dairy
market cattle faced by packers working with HACCP plans, (2) be able to
identify farm-specific risks for food safety and carcass quality, and (3)
identify ways to enhance markets for cull cattle and generate greater profits.
The program consists of discrete learning modules, will be delivered first in
the West asynchronously, evaluated, and later adapted for a national,
sustainable program. This program will impact veterinarians and farm advisors
by increasing knowledge and services to offer producers and will impact
producers by providing information on dairy beef food safety and quality to
maintain markets, comply with regulations and meet packer needs.
Authorized
Organizational Representative:
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Name: |
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Louise J. Ivey |
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Email: |
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ljivey@ucdavis.edu |
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Phone Number: |
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(530) 752-2075 |
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FAX Number: |
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(530) 752-5432 |
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Address: |
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IRS Number: |
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946036494W |
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Congressional District Number: |
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III |
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Period of Proposed Project Dates: |
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Principal Investigator/Project Director #1:
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Name: |
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Dale A Moore DVM PhD |
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Email: |
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dmoore@vmtrc.ucdavis.edu |
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Phone Number: |
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(559) 688-1731 x217 |
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FAX Number: |
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(559) 686-4231 |
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Address: |
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18830 Rd 112 |
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Curriculum Vitae:
Principal
Investigator/Project Director #2:
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Name: |
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Michael A Payne DVM PhD |
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Email: |
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mpayne@ucdavis.edu |
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Phone Number: |
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(530) 752-7507 |
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FAX Number: |
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(530) 752-0903 |
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Address: |
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Dept Environmental Toxicology, UC Davis |
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Curriculum Vitae:
Principal
Investigator/Project Director #3:
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Name: |
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Donald J Klingborg DVM |
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Email: |
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djklingbor@vmdean.ucdavis.edu |
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Phone Number: |
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(530) 752-7164 |
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FAX Number: |
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(530) 752-7563 |
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Address: |
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SVM:Office of Public Programs, UC Davis |
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Curriculum Vitae:
Principal
Investigator/Project Director #4:
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Name: |
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Robert W Sams |
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Email: |
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rwsams@ucdavis.edu |
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Phone Number: |
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(530) 754-8539 |
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FAX Number: |
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(530) 754-8499 |
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Address: |
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219 DANR Bldg, U.C. Davis |
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Curriculum Vitae:
Principal
Investigator/Project Director #5:
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Name: |
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Franklyn Garry DVM |
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Email: |
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fgarry@vth.colostate.edu |
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Phone Number: |
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(970) 491-1274 |
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FAX Number: |
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(970) 491-1275 |
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Address: |
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Curriculum Vitae:
Principal
Investigator/Project Director #6:
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Name: |
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William R Wailes PhD |
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Email: |
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wwailes@agsci.colostate.edu |
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Phone Number: |
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(970) 491-5390 |
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FAX Number: |
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(970) 491-5326 |
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Address: |
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Dept.
Animal Sciences, |
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Curriculum Vitae:
Principal
Investigator/Project Director #7:
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Name: |
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Dean E Falk MS |
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Email: |
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deanfalk@uidaho.edu |
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Phone Number: |
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(208) 736-3609 |
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FAX Number: |
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(208) 736-0843 |
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Address: |
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Animal
& Veterinary Science Dept., Univ of |
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Curriculum Vitae:
Principal
Investigator/Project Director #8:
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Name: |
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Donald Hansen DVM |
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Email: |
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donald.hansen@orst.edu |
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Phone Number: |
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(541) 737-6533 |
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FAX Number: |
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(541) 737-2730 |
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Address: |
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Curriculum Vitae:
Description
of the Agricultural Communication Network Project:
1. Project
Objectives:
· To improve agricultural research underlying
agricultural telecommunications.
· Make optimal use of available resources for
agricultural extension, resident education, and research by sharing resources
between participating institutions.
· Enhance the ability of
Explain
how the project relates to the Program Objective(s) and how the Project will
contribute to achieving these.
The project will address three Ag Telecommunications
Program objectives:
- To improve agricultural research underlying agricultural telecommunications.
- Make optimal use of available resources for agricultural extension, resident
education, and research by sharing resources between participating
institutions.
- Enhance the ability of the
A major thrust of the project is research and evaluation. Learning stages or learners "readiness" to participate in a course on dairy beef food safety/quality is unknown. The first phase of the research is to understand the learners readiness to learn and learning style. The second phase of the research is to assess learning after course participation. The third phase is course evaluation using different mechanisms of evaluation.
This project has pulled together faculty and resources in
agricultural extension and veterinary medicine, forged new partnerships,
facilitated collaborations using resources of the
2. Description of Agricultural
Communication Network to be Developed or Utilized.
The
Currently, the University of California (UC)
UC Davis DANR Communication Services already possesses high-quality audio,
video, and graphics compression software programs including MP3, AVI,
Realsystem G2, Quicktime 4.0., Windows Media, MPEG and streaming media over the
web, and has the ability to produce CD-ROMs. Communication Services will use
Media Cleaner Pro Production Bundle for audio/video compression and Adobe
Premiere 5.1. Currently they do non-linear digital video editing with Final Cut
Pro on an Apple G4/500 and use the Adobe After Effects Production Bundle for
effects and animation. For live videostreaming to the web and the ability to
save it for on-demand use, the project requires the use of the Sorenson
Broadcaster. Standard software programs ---Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and 3D
animation software --- are already in use for professional media production. At
the end of the course, CD-roms of all course materials will be supplied to farm
advisors and veterinarians for them to deliver the program to producers in a
local setting. These items will be produced and distributed through the DANR
Communication Services distribution system.
Online registration for continuing education programs are currently handled by
the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Office of Public Programs, on their
website. That office will take responsibility for this technical aspect of the
course.
New synergies will be created by the combination of unique educational
resources, professionals who require lifelong continuing education, a unique
network and technology resources. The fundamental purpose of this grant
proposal is to enhance a curriculum to create excellent content and develop an
instructional design that will attract sustaining learners to participate. The
advantages of conducting adult and continuing education on-line are that it is
timely, deliverable to rural areas, inexpensive for participants, can be easily
updated, involves self-paced learning, provides for some degree of
interactivity, provides immediate feedback, and can utilize situational
cognition (contextual thinking).
URLs of supporting telecommunications network infrastructure and services.
A*DEC - http://www.adec.edu
ANR Communication Services - http://commserv.ucdavis.edu/ucce/
CE Link - http://commserv.ucdavis.edu/ucce/services/default.shtml#Distance
DANR Connect - http://commserv.ucdavis.edu/ucce/computer/default.shtml
UC Vet Med - http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu
UC Vet Med Computer Assisted Learning Facility -
http://www.calf.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/HTML_docs/CALF.html
UC Vet Med Teaching and Research Center - http://www.vmtrc.ucdavis.edu
UC Vet Med Public Programs/Continuing Education
http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/CE/CE.html
UC Vet Med Extension - http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/vetext/home.html
UCNet - http://nms.ucop.edu
CENIC - http://www.cenic.org
UCTV - http://www.uctvonline.org/
Describe
the Cost/Benefit Analysis for purchasing (or leasing) different types of
facilities, equipment, components, hardware and software, or other items.
(complete only if applicable to your project).
3. Agricultural Communication Network
Programming:
Animal Science
Veterinary Medicine
Describe
the Programming and how it will contribute to achieving the Objective(s):
This project is a continuation of a partially-funded Ag Telecommunications
Program project (20043) that pulled together faculty and resources in
agricultural extension and veterinary medicine, forged new partnerships, and
shared expertise to enhance a curriculum critical to dairy beef food safety and
quality issues in the western states. A working website prototype of the course
has been developed.
Objective 1: To improve agricultural research underlying agricultural telecommunications: The project will assess learning styles and stages of learning for participants of the course as well as baseline knowledge and attitudes on dairy beef food safety and quality. A post-program evaluation will evaluate course content, website use, and changes in knowledge and attitudes. Information from on-line quizzes will reinforce learning at the end of each course segment and provide evidence of participant understanding of course material.
Objective 2: Make optimal use of available resources for
agricultural extension, resident education, and research by sharing resources
among participating institutions: Effective adult education programs require a
team to successfully design, develop and deploy them. With the first Ag
Telecommunications grant, UC Davis shared the curriculum with 6 western
university partners and obtained feedback on course content and design.
Objective 3: Enhance the ability of
Detailed
description of methods to be used in producing and/or delivering the
programing.
To finish production and delivery of this modular course
requires the completion of several different segments, using different media.
The project also requires staff assistance to facilitate delivery, data capture
and communications.
This project was partially funded through the Ag Telecommunications Program,
2000. With partial funding, we accomplished the following: (1) CD-ROMs made of
instructional materials (program agenda, script, two videos, four computer
slide-sets, three quizzes, with a program to view the videos) and mailed to
collaborators for review; (2) Met to critique and edit the curriculum; made
editing assignments; (3) Edited slide-set for physical hazards; (4) Video
scripted and shot for edited chemical hazards segment; (5) Obtained additional
funding for the project; (6) recruited New Mexico collaborator with expertise
in dairy management and improving carcass quality of cull dairy cows; (7)
Contracted web designer to develop working prototype; and (8) Pursued
collaborations with National Cattlemens Beef Association (NCBA) for potential sponsorship
and sustainability of the project.
With additional funding, we will: (1) Formalize collaboration with New Mexico State University; (2) Develop slide-set segment on carcass quality and profits; (3) Finish audio voice-over for slide-sets; (4) Make video of a packing plant manager discussing his plants criteria for incoming cattle; (5) Script/ shoot video of injection site lesion/carcass quality; (6) Complete new segment on antimicrobial resistance and prudent drug use; (7) Edit site; (8) Develop list of advisory committee members for formative evaluation (include representatives from: National Meats Association; NCBA, CA Cattlemen, The Ohio State University, CA Dairy Quality Assurance, CA Dairy Research Foundation, farm advisor and veterinary groups, and others; (9) Develop a marketing and advertising plan for the seven states; (10) Create enduring materials for trainers (farm advisors and veterinarians) to conduct in-residence training; (11) Announce course availability; (12) Capture information on participant stages of learning, learning styles, demographics, quizzes, course evaluation; (13) Begin data analysis and outlines for 2-3 manuscripts; (14) Present curriculum and research findings, and (14) Work with NCBA on project sustainability.
There are three different routes for program delivery. The basic course materials have been developed for the producer and herdsman audience with special segments developed for their advisors. (1) These individuals could go directly to the course website and review the materials to participate. However, the greatest impact of any educational material comes when the environment around the individual learning or behavior change is consistent and reinforced. If the producer, veterinarian, and farm advisor/ county agent have covered the same materials and received the same messages, the messages are more likely to be reinforced. (2) The materials will also be made available to the farm advisor and dairy veterinarian in a CD-Rom format so that they may deliver the course to producers in a local setting. It will also be possible to deliver the course in-residence through video projection of the on-line materials. (3) Because some of the western states have very few dairy cooperative extension advisors or dairy veterinarians who can be trained to deliver the program to producers, the university-based extension specialists will be marketing and delivering the course to producers unable to use the program on-line.
4. Population to be Served and Target
Audience(s):
This project targets three populations. Dairy producers, farm advisors and veterinarians will learn about and understand dairy beef food safety and quality issues. The potential participants in the west include approximately 400 dairy veterinarians and farm advisors and over 3200 dairy producers, most with herds greater than 200 cows.
The veterinarians role in food safety issues has been widely discussed (Anon 1997; Buntain 1997; Cullor 1995b; Fajt & Spire 1997; Hentschl 1992; Herrick 1997; Noordhuizen & Welpelo 1996; Russell 1996). Food safety issues include public health concern for antibiotic residues in meat and milk; contamination of meat and milk by Listeria, Campylobacter, E. coli and Salmonella spp.; and the possibility of transfer of resistance to human pathogens as a result of antimicrobial use in food animals. Food animal veterinarians often find themselves in the middle of these issues because they are the livestock producers primary resource for disease control, treatment, and information on management and health care decisions. Veterinarians are, or should be, integral in the development of management decisions about on-farm food safety. In a cooperative extension study of dairy producers using Total Quality Management, follow-up showed that producers found value with the program but desired continuous presence of an advisor or team to work with them and monitor their progress (Donaldson 1998).
In surveys of meat packers, dairy veterinarians, and
government veterinarians conducted for this project, needs for on-farm food
safety education were determined (
Farm advisors / cooperative extension agents will also be recipients of the course. They are experienced in program delivery and serve a vital educational role in the farming community. Linking farm advisors and veterinarians through land grant universities and the Internet to locally deliver producer education will insure a consistent message for food safety education. The project will promote the role of each as on-farm food safety and quality information resources.
The dairy producer is the ultimate beneficiary of the project. The program is designed to help them maintain cull cow markets, improve profits and prevent violations and condemnations. Farm advisors and veterinarians will multiply the information by offering education and services to producers in on-farm food safety relating to market cattle. The "multiplier effect" was proven effective in changing dairy farm management practices in a 4-year study (Moore, Sischo, and Hutchinson 1996). Producers whose veterinarian was enrolled in a 3-year dairy production medicine course were more likely to change and improve management practices compared to producers whose veterinarian was not enrolled in the course. Ultimately, from the proposed course, producers will gain knowledge and tools to market higher quality cattle to slaughter.
The potential expansion of target audiences is being pursued. The packing plant, auction yards, milk cooperatives/creameries, state departments of agriculture, dairy lenders / bankers, insurance companies and others, all have a stake in insuring quality food products coming off the farm. With additional funding, our team could pursue attracting these other audiences to the course and tailoring it to their needs.
The project will result in a web-based and CD-Rom-based educational program in dairy market cattle food safety and quality for dairy producers, veterinarians and farm advisors in seven western states. The program will provide a consistent food safety message that is both relevant and practical. Producers may take the course on-line or be reached through their advisors. The curriculum will be developed, enhanced and shared among the seven state partners and be available to participants who are often difficult to reach because of the nature of their work and their rural location.
5. Collaborating Institutions and Other
Partners:
University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary
Medicine
University of California, Division of Ag and Natural Resources
California Department of Food and Agriculture
California Dairy Quality Assurance ProgramColorado State University, College of
Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Oregon State University, College of Veterinary Medicine
New Mexico State University
Washington State University, College of Agriculture and Home Economics
University of Idaho, Twin Falls
University of Arizona
National Cattlemens Beef Association
Academy of Dairy Veterinary Consultants
Philip Morris Shared Solutions Program
The partners chosen for this project represent secialists from veterinary colleges, animal science departments, continuing education and communication services from 7 major western dairy states. All collaborators are necessary to enhance the current dairy market cattle food safety curriculum by providing content on residue avoidance, pathogen reduction, physical hazard reduction, and instructional design. All have expressed enthusiasm for this western regional project and will continue their participation in program development, with continued funding. There is balance in the group by mixing animal scientists (meats specialists who can provide information on packer needs, and dairy specialists), continuing education providers (who can provide input on adult learning), veterinarians (who can provide input on the profession) , cooperative extension specialists (who can provide input on farm advisor learning needs), and media specialists. All project leaders are responsible for assisting with content, instructional design, and program marketing. This broad, regional approach will insure a wide audience. (See Additional Rationale for Project regarding the regional aspect of this project.)
The
Other partners: Philip Morris Shared Solutions Program has provided some funding for and national attention to the project. The National Cattlemens Beef Association (NCBA) receives the "check-off" dollars from all fed and non-fed (including dairy market) cattle going to slaughter. The check-off dollars are to be used for beef promotional and educational purposes. Two of their representatives are on our Advisory Committee and have indicated an interest in helping review and market our final course product.
6. Additional Rationale for Project
Food Safety: "The ability of producers to compete in local and world markets depends on the continued production of safe food"(Turner 1997). New on-farm programs to reduce residues and pathogen loads in market cattle should be developed by the producer and his/her advisors resulting in higher quality cattle going to slaughter to keep those markets open. In 1998, the Food Safety Inspection Service and the Livestock Conservation Institute conducted educational programs for producers, veterinarians and others on "Surviving in a HACCP World" which focused on reasons to adopt quality assurance programs to meet new demands by meat packers. The programs were a day of lectures that provided background and established the need for protocols to decrease residues and pathogen loads. What is needed now is education on the current issues as well as tools and programs that can be implemented on the farm. A model program that utilizes the veterinarian is the beef quality assurance program outlined by the USDA Food Safety Inspection Service and the beef industry (Fajt and Spire 1997). Because a dairy operation and the way slaughter animals are marketed are different from the beef industry, education about dairy market cattle needs to be tailored for the dairy audience.
Other food safety / quality programs for dairy producers exist but have not been uniformly successful. The National Milk and Dairy Beef Quality Assurance Program (MDBQAP) was sponsored by the American Veterinary Medical Association and the National Milk Producers Federation and resulted in the development of booklet materials outlining a HACCP plan for residue reduction (Hentschl 1992). However, the program was not implemented on a majority of farms because it did not provide farm-specific tools to manage and monitor changes. Most producers did not perceive they could have a residue problem. However, when an on-farm risk-assessment tool was used along with an educator/consultant, producers made management changes to reduce their risk of antibiotic residues in milk (Sischo et al. 1997). The results of this research will be used in our market cattle program.
For pathogen reduction, the need for on-farm HACCP programs has been articulated (Cullor 1995a; Noordhuizen and Welpelo 1996; Troutt, Gillespie, and Osburn 1995). For dairy farms, an example of an HACCP program was outlined which could be adapted for pathogen reduction and implemented by the producer in a team effort with the herd veterinarian and others (Cullor 1995b). In a separate article, an auto-tutorial, computer-based program was developed for HACCP training for government veterinarians for one specific pathogen (Cullor 1996). Incorporating current research findings, such as identification of risk factors for pathogen shedding, should be the focus of the pathogen-reduction education objective for the course (Garber et al. 1995). The proposed course will enhance previous programs, focus at the farm level, and cover a wider spectrum of pathogens. Also in this segment is a discussion of antimicrobial resistance and prudent antimicrobial use on the farm.
Dairy Beef Quality: In 1994, the
Condemnations for Disease: In addition to residues and quality defects, some dairy cattle are condemned at slaughter because of specific disease problems such as cancer eye and lymphoma. Our program will address these costly condemnations and provide early detection and prevention guidelines.
The focus of this project is on the Western Region. The West has seen tremendous growth in cow numbers and average dairy herd size in the last two decades. Food safety issues, particularly antibiotic residues and pathogens found from western cows, have made national news. In addition, there are features unique to dairying with large herd sizes. Herds greater than 200 cows require hired labor to get work done. With hired labor come issues in communication and training of the workforce to make sure that jobs like cow medical treatments are done correctly and food safety problems are avoided.
The states represented in this collaborative project hold
over 25 percent of the nations dairy herd. From the 2000 US Dairy Industry
Statistics, National Agricultural Statistics Service, the number of dairy cows
and number of herds with more than 200 cows for each state are provided below.
(http://www.nass.usda.gov:81/ipedb/).
California, 1,523,000 head, 1830 herds 200 head;
Arizona, 139,000 head, 110 herds 200 head;
Colorado, 89,000 head, 130 herds 200 head;
Idaho, 347,000 head, 340 herds 200 head;
New Mexico, 250,000 head, 145 herds 200 head;
Oregon, 90,000 head, 150 herds 200 head;
Washington, 247,000 head, 370 herds 200 head.
The annual number of dairy cattle marketed to slaughter from these states is over 900,000 head. Without the mindset that dairy producers also produce meat, food safety and meat quality are at risk.
Educational Needs and Issues in On-Line Education: Although it has been predicted that "half of all learning in the 21st century will be on-line" (LERN, March 2000), there are some challenges to putting courses on-line. Internet access for our audiences could be considered a challenge, but at least among professionals, web-use has risen to over 50%. (Rhonda Dix, University of Wisconsin Medical School, personal communication, April 2000) In traditional continuing education, which is likely ineffective at changing behavior and is inflexible (Davis et al. 1999), the clinician does not choose the topic, the pace, or the location of learning (Peterson et al. 1999). On-line continuing education can overcome some of these problems.
Important to developing a successful educational program is to utilize technologies that facilitate participant motivation to make a change by overcoming obstacles to participation, enabling change, and reinforcing that change (Green and Kreuter 1991). On-line education technologies can be used in all of these stages of behavior change. Through a series of focus groups, we determined that time, distance, and money, were barriers to course participation by veterinarians (Moore et al. 2000). However, as important was the concern about leaving clients if participating in in-residence programs. These obstacles to participation can be overcome using distance education technology.
Reference List
Anon "Veterinary medicine and food safety: the veterinarians role."
The Veterinary Record 141(1997): 483.
Buntain,B. "The role of the food animal veterinarian in the HACCP
era." J Am Vet Med Assoc 210(1997): 492-5.
Candy,P.C. Self-direction for lifelong learning: a comprehensive guide to
theory and practice.
Cullor,J.S. "Common pathogens that cause foodborne disease: Can they be
controlled on the dairy?" Veterinary Medicine 90(1995a): 185-94.
----- "Implementing the HACCP program on your clients dairies."
Veterinary Medicine 90(1995b): 290-5.
----- "An HACCP learning module for graduate veterinarians." J Am Vet
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Dillman,D.A. Mail and telephone surveys: The complete design method.
Donaldson, J.L. An assessment of the dairy total quality management (TQM)
program and factors associated with adoption by dairy producers in a five-state
pilot project. Masters of Agricultural Education Thesis.
Fajt,V. and M.F.Spire "The veterinarians role in a beef quality-assurance
program." Veterinary Medicine 92(1997): 819-23.
Food Safety and Inspection Service,USDA. "Pathogen reduction; hazard
analysis and critical control point (HACCP) systems." Federal Register
61(1996): 38806-989.
Garber,L. et al. "Risk factors for fecal shedding of Escherichia coli
O157:H7 in dairy calves." J Am Vet Med Assoc 207(1995): 46-9.
Green,L.W. and M.W.Kreuter Health Promotion Planning: an educational and
environmental approach., 2nd ed. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing Co.,
1991.
Havelock,R. The Change Agents Guide. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational
Technology Publications, 1995.
Hentschl,A.F. The dairy practitioner and the American Veterinary Medical
Association/National Milk Producers Federation quality assurance program for
milk and dairy beef. Proceedings of the American Association of Bovine
Practitioners 2, 128-31. 1992. Stillwater, OK, AABP.
Herrick,J.B. "Drugs and biologics are not a good substitute for effective
management by food animal veterinarians." J Am Vet Med Assoc 210(1997):
1419-20.Jordan,E.R. and R.H.Fourdraine "Characterization of the management
practices of the top milk producing herds in the country." J Dairy Sci
76(1993): 3247-56.
McClaran,J., E.Franco, and L.Snell "Type of clinical problem is a
determinant of physicians self-selected learning methods in their practice
settings." J Cont Educ Health Professions 18(1998): 107-18.
Moore,D.A. "Changes in skills, changes in abilities: an evaluation of a
continuing education program in dairy production medicine." J Vet Med Educ
25(1999): 17-20.
Moore,D.A. et al. "Motivation for and barriers to engaging in continuing
veterinary medical education." J Am Vet Med Assoc 2000;217:1001-1006.
Moore,D.A., W.M.Sischo, and L.J.Hutchinson "Effect of participation by
veterinarians in a dairy production medicine continuing education course on
management practices and performance of client herds." J Am Med Assoc
209(1996): 1086-9.
Moore,D.A., W.M.Sischo, and D.Wilson "A continuing educational needs
assessment for on-farm food safety services." J Am Vet Med Assoc
2000;217:479-484.
NAHMS. Part 1: reference of 1996 dairy management practices. 1-41. 1996. Fort
Collins, CO, USAD-APHIS-NAHMS.
Noordhuizen,J.P.T.M. and H.J.Welpelo "Sustainable improvement of animal
health care by systematic quality risk management according to the HACCP
concept." Veterinary Quarterly 18(1996): 121-6.
Peterson,M.W. et al. "Realizing the promise: delivering pulmonary
continuing medical education over the Internet." Chest 115(1999): 1429-36.
Russell,L.H. "Teaching food safety in the veterinary curriculum." J
Am Vet Med Assoc 209(1996): 2050-2.
Schleyer,T.K. "On-line continuing dental education." J Am Dental
Assoc 130(1999): 848-54.
Sischo,W.M. et al. "Prevalence of contagious pathogens of bovine mastitis
and use of mastitis control practices." J Am Vet Med Assoc 202(1993):
595-600.
Sischo,W.M. et al. "Implementing a quality assurance program using a risk assessment
tool on dairy operations." J Dairy Sci 80(1997): 777-87.
Slotnick,H.B. "How doctors learn: physicians self-directed learning
episodes." Academic Medicine 74(1999): 1106-13.
Troutt,H.F., J.Gillespie, and B.I.Osburn "Implementation of HACCP on farms
and ranches." HACCP in Meat, Poultry and Fish Processing., 36-57. New
York: Blackie Academic & Professional, 1995.
Turner,A. "Veterinarians and the promotion of food safety on the
farm." Australian Veterinary Journal 75(1997): 416.
7. Significant Impacts:
This project will complete the development of an on-line and CD-Rom based course for dairy producers, veterinarians, and farm advisors. After participation in the course, producers and their advisors will accept the fact that they are in the food business, and recognize that packers (the industry purchasing market cows) and the consumers of animal products expect food of high quality, free from violative residues. Producers and their employees will understand that meat from market cows/dairy beef is food, and only meat from animals appropriate to become food should be marketed. Given the scenario of a very sick cow, the producer will recognize that this animal should not be marketed for human food and that humane euthanasia is an option.
Producers will recognize that a more profitable culling program is possible with attention to residue avoidance and product quality. A producer exposed to our materials will adhere to the conviction that it is both possible and important to MANAGE market cows. The producer/herdsman will be able to differentiate between a poorly conditioned animal and one that is a higher quality market animal. The producer will be able to list ways to improve the quality of their market cows to increase income/profits and maintain current and future markets.
For example, given the decision to treat a cow, the producer/herdsman should recognize that he/she must first read and then follow label directions for any animal health product. Given the decision to use an injectable drug, the producer/herdsman will choose to inject SQ in the neck region or IM in lower rear leg to reduce loss due to injection site lesions. In evaluating their chemical storage, producers will be able to identify ways to reduce the risk of chemical addition to animal feeds and, when feeding cattle, producers will recognize the potential consequences of feeding illegal animal protein products.
8. Describe the plans for evaluation,
dissemination and assessment:
Formative evaluation: An advisory committee of extension and veterinary specialists and others from around the country will assess the draft product of the project through a formative evaluation. The program will be assessed for content and delivery method. This formative evaluation will be accomplished over the Internet. The URL for the course will be provided to committee members who will have the opportunity to go through the course and provide comment. The project will provide a small honorarium. The results of this evaluation will be used to restructure or make changes to the course, as needed.
If behavior change (implementation of new knowledge) is an outcome after program delivery, the theory of behavior change which best applies is the PRECEED model from the health education / health promotion literature (Green and Kreuter 1991). In this model, there are three major factors influencing change. First, for anyone to change behavior, they must be predisposed to change. This is where educational needs assessment plays a role. Second, they must be enabled to make the change. That is, the course should provide the knowledge and tools to make the change. The participants also need the practice or work environment in which to make the change. Finally, participants need to be reinforced in their change. Preparing for and teaching producers will reinforce their own learning and assist with implementation of on-farm food safety services.
The challenge for the program provider/researcher is in assessing learning and behavior change. The pre-test/post-test method can be used to assess understanding and knowledge changes. Only through an assessment of implementation can behavior change be evaluated. Implementation can be assessed through site visits or very specific survey questions about implementation. Future funding will be necessary to complete this detailed follow-up of participants.
Pre-Test Assessment: There is very little literature on what motivates producers or veterinarians to learn. However, from the continuing veterinary and medical education literature, physicians and veterinarians appear to be motivated when presented with either specific problems (e.g. a patient) or general knowledge or skills gaps (Slotnick 1999; Moore et al. 2000). The gap in knowledge and skills in on-farm food safety is of a more general nature, although practitioners may have had to deal with specific problems in food safety or quliaty of market cattle because of client residue violations or carcass condemnation. The type of clinical problem determines a doctors self-selected learning method (McClaran, Franco, and Snell 1998). Semi-structured learning such as using journals and colleagues can solve specific problems but more formal learning is required for general skill and knowledge development. An on-line continuing education course can serve as a formal learning activity and can fulfill some of the tenets of adult learning because it is self-directed and provides for situated cognition (contextual thinking).
There are a number of gaps in continuing education provider knowledge about motivation to participate in an on-line course and motivation to participate in a formal program in food safety. Three gaps in provider knowledge will be filled with a pre-test of the participants: (1) Questions on what enticed participation will address some of the issues of motivation to participate in an on-line course and what enticed participation in a course covering on-farm food safety for dairy market cattle. (2) Questions on knowledge, attitudes and skills will provide baseline knowledge of participants that could be generalized to a larger, more national population of dairy veterinarians and extension agents. (3) Responses to questions about their expectations for the course will provide information for possible course adaptation.
In addition to the pre-test, we will ask participants to assess their learning style through the Index of Learning Styles tool available on the Web (http://www2.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSpage.html). Results of participant learning style inventories will be used to better identify our audience for re-evaluating our instructional design when updating the course or creating new courses.
Post-Test Assessment: On-line quizzes will provide immediate feedback to course participants. A formal post-test will (1) determine changes in attitudes and knowledge, (2) assess confidence in participants ability to implement food safety programs, and (3) evaluate the on-line method of teaching for ease of use, the content, interaction, and structure of the course. The assessment will have to separate the technical and administrative system from the program content. This post-program follow-up is essential and will be designed to assess learning, reinforce participant knowledge, sustain learner interest, enhance motivation, and "nurture integration of new skills or materials into day-to-day behavior"(Havelock 1995). A post-program assessment can also identify implementation of specific knowledge from a continuing education program (Moore 1999).
Assessment of Course Evaluation Completion Rates: On-line continuing medical education program providers have reported that only about 20 percent course evaluations are completed on-line.(Mark Gelula, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, personal communication, April 2000) Our post-program assessment will be provided to participants one of two ways. Randomly selected participants will be solicited to complete the evaluation by mail using Dillmans complete survey method (Dillman 1978) or be solicited through the Internet to complete the evaluation on-line. Response rates will be compared to determine if completing evaluations on-line improves compliance with course evaluation completion. Response rates using Dillmans complete mail method for a dairy farmer survey was over 90 percent (Sischo et al. 1993).
Outreach Plan: Presentations at educational and veterinary conferences and peer-reviewed publications will be the primary means of outreach for the project results. The results of assessments and evaluations will be delivered at national meetings (American Association of Bovine Practitioners and American Dairy Science Association), provided as handouts to schools of veterinary medicine and agriculture, and in one or two journal publications (Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, Journal of Dairy Science, Journal of Applied Communications, American Journal of Distance Education, Journal of Extension, or Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions). These peer-reviewed publications will provide colleagues with the general curriculum and information on the process of program development as well as evaluation results.
Extension presentations to producers will highlight the program and value to them so that they might create a demand for advisors to participate in the course. The School of Veterinary Medicine public relations and the DANR External and Government Relations Offices will have a role in providing information to the lay press as will the project investigators. The focus will be dairy producer magazines (e.g. Dairy Herd Management, Dairy Today, Hoards Dairyman) and veterinary magazines (Large Animal Veterinarian, Bovine Veterinarian). Direct mail and marketing expertise in DANR Communication Services will support promotion and marketing efforts for the program and educational materials.
9. Broader Impacts:
Being a web-based course, the project has the ability to reach a wide audience. In particular, dairy producers, veterinarians and farm advisors located in rural areas will have 7-day a week, 24-hour a day availability to the course without having to travel and leave their farm or clients. Practicing veterinarians, in a focus group study of barriers to continuing education participation, reported that time, distance and money were the three most common barriers (Moore et al. 2000). Among food animal veterinarians, leaving their clients was an important factor because there would be no one to do the work if they participated in an in-residence continuing education program. Thus, providing a curriculum on-line that is modular and readily accessible will help insure that a uniform message about on-farm food safety reaches the participants and, eventually, their rural producer-clients.
This project involves the participation of specialists from 7 western states. The West is a focus of the project because of the enormous impact that large numbers of dairy cattle have on the beef supply as well as the unique aspects and food safety issues of large herds. However, once the course has been delivered, evaluated and improved, it can be adapted and made available to a national audience of dairy producers, veterinarians and farm advisors. We will bring the National Dairy Quality Assurance Program to the table first in an advisory capacity and provide them with this program as a possible component of their educational program. (http://www.reeusda.gov/agsys/adds/livestok/dairy/ndqap.htm)
The project will have further-reaching impacts in that the template for the on-line and CD-Rom course can be used for other quality assurance modules. Currently being planned in California are modules in milk quality, animal health, and animal welfare.
The results of the learning style inventory of participants and the course assessments will have national impact on adult and continuing education providers. New knowledge about the audience can be used to develop programs better able to meet their needs and learning style preferences.
10. Proposed Timetable:
September 2001: Hire staff person to help manage the
project; Formalize collaboration with
October 2001: Finish audio voice-over for slide-sets; Make video of packing
plant manager on criteria for incoming cattle;
November 2001: Script/ shoot video of injection site lesion/carcass quality;
Complete new segment on antimicrobial resistance and prudent drug use; December
2001: Edit website; Complete list of advisory committee members and conduct
formative evaluation (include representatives from: National Meats Association;
NCBA, CA Cattlemen, The Ohio State University, CA Dairy Quality Assurance, CA
Dairy Research Foundation, farm advisor groups, veterinary groups, and others);
January 2002: Edit site after formative evaluation; Develop marketing and
advertising plan for the seven states; Create enduring materials for trainers
(farm advisors and veterinarians) conducting in-residence training;
February 2002: Announce course availability and deliver; Capture information on
participant stages of learning, learning styles, demographics, quizzes, course
evaluation from at least 50 producers;
March 2002: Course delivery and data capture
April 2002: Course delivery and data capture
May 2002: Begin data analysis and outlines for 2-3 manuscripts;
June 2002: Data analysis and manuscript preparation
July 2002: Present curriculum and research findings
11. Project Personnel and Time
Commitment:
This project requires expertise in the dairy industry, veterinary profession, cooperative extension, and slaughter cattle issues. The project collaborators chosen for this project are motivated, complement each others talents and expertise, and have links to the industry and potential participants.
Co-PIs
Dale A. Moore, Asst Prof, School of Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis, 10 percent
effort.
Michael Payne, Asst Research Pharmacologist/Toxicologist, Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank, UC Davis, 10 percent effort
Donald J. Klingborg, Assistant Dean, Public Programs and Veterinary Extension, School of Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis, 5 percent effort
Robert Sams, Director, Division of Ag and Natural Resources Communication Services, UC Davis, 5 percent effort
John Kirk, Dairy Extension Veterinarian, School of Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis, 5 percent effort
Franklyn Garry, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, 3 percent effort
Bill Wailes, Animal Science Department, Colorado State University, 3 percent effort
Donald Hansen, Extension Veterinarian, College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University. 3 percent effort
Jan Busboom, Professor and Extension Meat Specialist, Washington State University, Pullman, 3 percent effort
Dean Falk, Dairy Extension Specialist, Dept Animal and Veterinary Science, University of Idaho, Twin Falls, 5 percent effort
John Marchello, Dept Animal Science, University of Arizona, 3 percent effort
Mike Looper, Animal Resources Department, New Mexico State University, 5 percent effort
Dennis Wilson, California Department of Food and Agriculture. 3 percent effort
Project Staff
Mike Poe, Principal Producer-Director, DANR Communication Services, UC Davis,
10 percent effort
Ray Lucas, Producer-Director, DANR Communication Services, UC Davis, 2 percent effort
Staff Assistant, Vet Med Teaching and Research Center, UC Davis, 50 percent effort
Chris OConnor, Freelance web designer, Sacramento, CA